MURDER AT LONGBOURN

A quintessential chick-lit heroine quotes Pride and Prejudice, solves a murder and gets her man in this debut mystery.

Facing New Year’s Eve alone, newly single Elizabeth Parker is just as ready as Bridget Jones to give up hope of finding her Mr. Darcy. An invitation to help at quirky Aunt Winnie’s bed and breakfast on Cape Cod seems like her best option to ring in the New Year, even if her former adolescent nemesis Peter McGowan will be hanging around the place. Besides, Aunt Winnie is hosting a staged murder, a whodunit game with a troupe of actors. In a plot twist that will surprise only the kiddies, when the lights go out, the murder turns real; Gerald Ramsey, the wealthiest man in town, has been shot by one of the guests. Half the people in the room have a motive: his trophy wife Lauren; his cloistered daughter Polly; dashing Daniel, who’s been suspiciously attentive to Lauren; and even Aunt Winnie, who’s been threatened by Ramsey’s legal maneuverings ever since she snatched the inn from under his nose. To clear Aunt Winnie, Elizabeth has tea with the widow and lingers in the bakery, pondering the gossip until a sudden flash of insight inspires her to reckless bravery.

Predictable romance and implausible social scenarios—strictly for fans of books about being a fan of Jane Austen.